Multimedia bookmark method and system thereof

ABSTRACT

The present invention discloses a multimedia bookmark method and a system thereof. The method of the present invention comprises steps: providing a plurality of digital annotations for an information object; creating a bookmark containing an ordered set organized according to a time relativity, a file relativity or a user-defined attribute of the digital annotations; and presenting the bookmark and the information object corresponding to the bookmark. Thereby, the present invention provides complete, meaningful and multi-aspect bookmarks, enabling users to easily understand and conveniently use the annotations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a multimedia bookmark method and asystem thereof, which establish relativities of annotations and presentthe ordered sets of the annotations.

2. Description of the Related Art

Students or readers are usually overburdened with books for diversifiedand long-time learning or reading, especially during tour. With arrivalof newsonomics, the digital content market flourishes more and more andencourages fast development of E-book technologies, such as thosedisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,739,814, 5,761,485, 5,761,681 and5,80,251. Recently, E-book products have gradually replaced traditionalbooks. Normally, the content can be annotated in an E-book. For example,the content of an E-book can be commented with words, marked withcolors, linked to websites, or attached to by files to function as studynotes and facilitate review.

However, the abovementioned are all static annotations. Further, theannotations are added randomly and independent to each other.Furthermore, the annotations are usually incomplete and lack clearrelationship with the contents and unable to facilitate efficientlearning or reading. Therefore, how to organize the annotations into acomplete and meaningful study notes is a problem the field desires tosolve.

Accordingly, the present invention proposes a multimedia bookmark methodand a system thereof to overcome the abovementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide amultimedia bookmark method and a system thereof, which establish therelativities of annotations and arranges the presentation sequence ofthe annotations to enable the user to easily understand the meanings ofthe annotations and encourage the user to undertake dynamic thinking,whereby is promoted the learning interest and study efficiency of theuser.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a multimediabookmark method and a system thereof, which apply to E-books, medicalinformation systems, digital instruction systems, multimedia networks,etc.

To achieve the abovementioned objectives, the present invention proposesa multimedia bookmark method, which comprises steps: providing aplurality of digital annotations for an information object; creating abookmark containing an ordered set organized according to a timerelativity, a file relativity or a user-defined attribute of the digitalannotations; presenting the bookmark and the information objectcorresponding to the bookmark.

The present invention also proposes a multimedia bookmark system, whichcomprises an edition module providing a plurality of digital annotationsfor an information object, creating a bookmark containing an ordered setorganized according to a time relativity, a file relativity or auser-defined attribute of the digital annotations to enable the bookmarkfunction as a complete and meaningful study note of the informationobject; a display module electrically connected with the edition moduleand presenting the bookmark and the information object corresponding tothe bookmark; and a processing module electrically connected with theedition module and the display module and controlling the activitiesthereof.

Below, the embodiments are described in detail to make easily understoodthe objectives, technical contents, characteristics and accomplishmentsof the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the architecture of amultimedia bookmark system according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a multimedia bookmark method according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows digital annotation edition according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a presentation sequence of digital annotations according toone embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 shows another presentation sequence of the same digitalannotations in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With popularization of digital learning, the Ministry of Education ofTaiwan has taken digital learning into the focus development programs.Therefore, the present invention proposes a digital bookmark method andsystem, which applies to E-books, medical information systems, digitalinstruction systems, multimedia networks, etc., whereby the user canconveniently and arbitrarily add digital annotations containing his ownopinions and records when he reads an information object, and wherebythe user can use the relativities of the digital annotations and theinformation object corresponding to the digital annotations to create acomplete and meaningful study note. When applied to E-books, the presentinvention can promote the learning interest and study efficiency of theuser and encourage the user to think dynamically. When applied tomedical information system, the present invention can help experiencedphysicians and medical professors to record medical opinions, analyzediseases and make pathological judgments, and provide more completeinstruction materials for medical students. When applied to wardinformation systems, the present invention can record the healthcareknowledge and patients' conditions recited by physicians, wherebypatients and their families can conveniently read and learn itrepeatedly.

Refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematicallyshowing the architecture of a multimedia bookmark system according toone embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of amultimedia bookmark method according to one embodiment of the presentinvention. The multimedia bookmark system of the present inventioncomprises a memory module 10, a display module 12, an edition module 14,a processing module 16, an administration module 18 and an input device20. The processing module 16 is electrically connected with the memorymodule 10, the display module 12, the edition module 14, theadministration module 18 and the input device 20 and controls theabovementioned modules according to the user's operations. The memorymodule 10 stores a plurality of information objects and a plurality ofannotations. The information object may be a multimedia content, a textcontent, a webpage or an image. When the user intends to read aninformation object (such as a text content), the processing module 16retrieves the information object from the memory module 10 and presentsit on the display module 12. In Step S10, the user uses the editionmodule 14 to supply a plurality of digital annotations to an informationobject, and the memory module 10 stores the digital annotations. Thedigital annotations may be in form of text, A/V (audio/video)information, voice, images, multimedia data, URL (Universal ResourceLocator), or application links. In Step S12, create a bookmarkcontaining an ordered set organized according to a time relativity, afile relativity, a user-defined relativity of the digital annotations,wherein indexes is established for digital annotations and thecorresponding information object. The edition modules 14 can createseveral bookmarks each containing different ordered sets organizedaccording to different relativities of the digital annotations. Thus, aone-to-multiple relationship exists between the digital annotations andthe bookmarks. In Step S14, the processing module 16 determines whetherto present the bookmarks. If the answer is “no”, the process proceeds toStep S16, and bookmark presentation is ended. If the answer is “yes”,the process proceeds to Step S18, and digital annotations and thecorresponding information objects are presented on the display module12. According to the positions of the indexes, the digital annotationsand the corresponding information objects are sequentially presented onthe display module 12 until all the digital annotations have beensequentially presented on the display module 12 one after one. Whenreading an information object, the user can easily grasp the meaning ofthe annotations from the relativities and the presentation sequencethereof. Thereby, the present invention can promote the learninginterest and study efficiency of the user, and encourage the user toundertake dynamic thinking. In addition to editing the digitalannotations in Step S12, the present invention also administrates thebookmarks, which have been organized into ordered sets in Step S12, oredits the digital annotations of the bookmarks, in Step S20. In StepS20, an administration module 18 is used to administrate the bookmarks,including addition, deletion, modification, encryption, decryption,authorization, download, upload, storage, copyright and storage ofbookmarks. When intending to edit the digital annotations of thebookmarks, the user uses the administration module 18 to provide thepositions of the indexes and then uses the input device 20 to edit thedigital annotations.

Refer to FIG. 3 for an embodiment of digital annotation edition, whereinthe information object is exemplified by a text content. In thisembodiment, an annotation edition window 22, an annotation label window24, an information object window 26 and a display operation window 28are presented on the display module 12. When intending to add a digitalannotation to the current text content, the user uses an input device20, such as a mouse or a touchscreen, to select an annotation editionmode from the annotation edition window 22. The digital annotation maybe in form of text, A/V (Audio/Video) data, voice, images, multimediadata, URL, or application links. The detail thereof will be describedlater.

If the user selects a voice annotation mode, a microphone is used topick up voices. Next, the edition module 14 converts the voices into avoice annotation file and assigns a corresponding label to the textcontent in the information object window 26.

If the user selects a text annotation mode, a keyboard or a voicerecognition device is used to receive text information. Next, theedition module 14 converts the text into a text annotation file andassigns a corresponding label to the text content in the informationobject window 26.

If the user selects a URL annotation mode, the edition module 14 recordsa webpage linking information and assigns a corresponding label to thetext content in the information object window 26.

If the user selects a multimedia annotation mode, the edition module 14records the route to a multimedia file and assigns a corresponding labelto the text content in the information object window 26.

Similarly to the case of the multimedia annotation, if the user selectsan A/V annotation mode or an application annotation mode, the editionmodule 14 records the route to an A/V file or an application program andassigns a corresponding label to the text content in the informationobject window 26.

The annotation label window 24 lists all the labels existing in the textcontent of the information object window 26. As shown in FIG. 3, theannotation list has three voice annotations—Voice Annotation 1, VoiceAnnotation 2 and Voice Annotation 3; two text annotations' such as TextAnnotation 1 and Text Annotation 2; two A/V annotations' such as A/VAnnotation 1 and A/V Annotation 2; a URL annotation’ such as URLAnnotation 1 and an application annotation’ such as ApplicationAnnotation 1. The label list does not show the details of annotationsbut only records the annotation labels and the types thereof.

When the user edits digital annotations, he uses the annotation editionwindow 22 to assign relativities or attributes to the digitalannotations, and the system records the relativities and attributes. Ifa time relativity is assigned to some digital annotations, these digitalannotations are grouped into a time-relativity bookmark containing anordered set organized according to the time points of edition or thetime points of presentation. If a file relativity is assigned to somedigital annotations, these digital annotations are grouped into afile-relativity bookmark containing an ordered set organized accordingto the types, data quantities, formats of the files. If a user-definedrelativity is assigned to some digital annotations, these digitalannotations are grouped into a user-defined bookmark containing anordered set organized according to the attribute defined by the user. Asshown in FIG. 3, the text content has five bookmarks such as Bookmark 1to Bookmark 5, which are created via grouping the digital annotationsinto ordered sets according to different attribute relativities. As eachdigital annotation has several different attributes, a one-to-multiplerelationship exists between each digital annotation and the bookmarks.The digital annotations are presented according to different sequencesin different bookmarks respectively having different attributerelativities. Therefore, the information object has several bookmarksrespectively organized from different aspects. Thereby, the presentinvention implements a complete, meaningful and multi-aspect study noteand enables different users to easily understand and conveniently usethe annotations.

The user can also administrate the bookmarks. When intending to edit thedigital annotations of the bookmarks, the user provides the positions ofthe indexes of the bookmarks and the digital annotations. Next, the useruses the input device 20 to select the annotation edition mode from theannotation edition window 22 to arbitrarily edit the digitalannotations. For example, the user can add new digital annotations,delete annotations, or vary the presentation sequence of digitalannotations.

Refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, wherein the information object has threedigital annotations. In the information object are created twobookmarks—Error sample 1 and Correct sample 1, which are ordered setsorganized according to different attributes of the three digitalannotations. The user may use the administration module 24 to vary thepresentation sequence of the three digital annotations. As shown in FIG.4, in the bookmark Error sample 1, the digital annotations are presentedin a sequence: 1st addition operation→1st multiplication operation—2ndaddition operation. As shown in FIG. 5, in the bookmark Correct sample1, the digital annotations are presented in a sequence: 1stmultiplication operation→1st addition operation→2nd addition operation.Therefore, Error sample 1 and Correct sample 1 respectively havedifferent presentation sequences and thus have diversified instructioneffects the conventional annotation systems cannot provide.

Refer to Table.1 for comparison of the present invention and theconventional annotation systems.

TABLE 1 The Conventional The Present Technology Invention Initializationby content by bookmark/digital annotation Execution in a sequence of theitems in a sequence determined by sequence appearing in the content oneof the attributes of annotations Annotation an annotation can only anannotation can annotate capability annotate a single object severalobjects Annotation none relativity existing in relativities establishedfor relativity annotations annotations Performance statically presentingdynamically presenting momentary thinking thinking and learninggenerated in reading the activities undertaken in content reading thecontent

In conclusion, the present invention establishes the relativities ofannotations and arranges the presentation sequences of the annotationsto enable the user to easily understand the meanings of the annotationsand encourage the user to think dynamically. Thereby, the presentinvention can overcome the conventional problem that the annotations areindependent to each other and lack a definite relationship with thecontent. Further, the present invention can promote the learninginterest and study efficiency of the user.

The embodiments described above are only to exemplify the presentinvention but not to limit the scope of the present invention. Anyequivalent modification or variation according to the spirit of thepresent invention is to be also included within the scope of the presentinvention.

1. A multimedia bookmark method comprising steps: providing a pluralityof digital annotations for an information object; creating a bookmarkcontaining an ordered set organized according to a time relativity, afile relativity, a user-defined attribute of said digital annotations;and presenting said bookmark and said information object correspondingto said bookmark.
 2. The multimedia bookmark method according to claim1, wherein said bookmarks are respectively created via organizing saiddigital annotations into an ordered set according to relativities orattributes of said digital annotations to form a one-to-multiplerelationship between each said digital annotation and said bookmarks. 3.The multimedia bookmark method according to claim 1, wherein an index isbuilt for each of said digital annotations of said bookmark, and saidindex is also built for said information object where said digitalannotations are established.
 4. The multimedia bookmark method accordingto claim 3 further comprising a step of providing positions of saidindexes of one said bookmark and one said digital annotation when a userintends to administrate said bookmark or edit said digital annotation ofsaid bookmark.
 5. The multimedia bookmark method according to claim 3,wherein said digital annotations are sequentially presented according topositions of said indexes, and said information object where saiddigital annotations are established is also presented.
 6. The multimediabookmark method according to claim 1, wherein said time relativity isrelated with time points of creating said digital annotations or timepoints of presenting said digital annotations.
 7. The multimediabookmark method according to claim 1, wherein said file relativity isrelated with file types, file capacities or file formats of said digitalannotations.
 8. The multimedia bookmark method according to claim 1,wherein said user-defined attribute is related with a bookmark definedby a user.
 9. The multimedia bookmark method according to claim 1,wherein said information object contains a multimedia content, a textcontent, or an image content.
 10. The multimedia bookmark methodaccording to claim 1, wherein an input device is used to select anaddition mode, a delete mode, an edition mode or a presentation mode ofsaid digital annotations of said information object.
 11. A multimediabookmark system comprising an edition module providing a plurality ofdigital annotations for an information object, creating a bookmarkcontaining an ordered set organized according to a time relativity, afile relativity or a user-defined attribute of said digital annotations;a display module electrically connected with said edition module andpresenting said bookmark and said information object corresponding tosaid bookmark; and a processing module electrically connected with saidedition module and said display module and controlling activitiesthereof.
 12. The multimedia bookmark system according to claim 11,wherein said edition module creates said bookmark via organizing saiddigital annotations into an ordered set according to one of relativitiesor attributes of said digital annotations to form a one-to-multiplerelationship between each said digital annotation and said bookmarks.13. The multimedia bookmark system according to claim 11 furthercomprising an administration module electrically connected with saidedition module and said processing module, administrating saidbookmarks, and providing positions of indexes of one said bookmark andone said digital annotation for editing said bookmark.
 14. Themultimedia bookmark system according to claim 13, wherein said digitalannotations are sequentially presented according to positions of saidindexes, and said information object where said digital annotations areestablished is also presented.
 15. The multimedia bookmark systemaccording to claim 13, wherein said administration module is used toadministrate addition, deletion, modification, encryption, decryption,authorization, download, upload, storage, copyright and storage of saidbookmark.
 16. The multimedia bookmark system according to claim 11,wherein said time relativity is related with time points of creatingsaid digital annotations or time points of presenting said digitalannotations.
 17. The multimedia bookmark system according to claim 11,wherein said file relativity is related with file types, file capacitiesor file formats of said digital annotations.
 18. The multimedia bookmarksystem according to claim 11, wherein said user-defined attribute isrelated with a bookmark defined by a user.
 19. The multimedia bookmarksystem according to claim 11, wherein an input device is used to selectan addition mode, a delete mode, an edition mode or a presentation modeof said digital annotations of said information object.